【正确答案】The ways Chinese people adopt to get around have experienced a long process from depending on physical strength to taking convenient tools. From 1950s to 1970s, bicycles were the most fashionable means of transportation in China and also the most important characteristic of society during that time. In the 1980s, motorcycles gradually became the new favorite. From the early 1990s to the present, with the development of urban traffic and automotive industry, as well as the increasingly busy life, more and more people prefer private cars, making the number of private cars grow at a surprising speed. The life of ordinary people seems to be equipped with wheels, moving ahead fast.

【答案解析】1. 第二句中的“最具有符号意义的社会特征”意思就是自行车是最重要的社会特征，故译为the most important characteristic of society。2. 第三句中，“成为交通工具中的‘新宠’”不必逐字翻译。由上下文可知，通篇都在讲交通工具，因此此处翻译时可略译“交通工具中的”。“新宠”就是指摩托车成为人们最喜欢的新的交通工具。故译为the new favorite。既传神又简洁。3. 第四句中的“私家车的数量……与日俱增”是“越来越多的人选择以汽车代步”的结果，因此在翻译时可处理成结果状语。4. 第四句中的“‘安’上了车轮”实际上指的是生活像安上轮子一样，快速地向前移动。因此，翻译时需要增译。把中文的意思完全表达出来。